Let's be honest, flowers can't erase a stupid argument or replace a family heirloom you've smashed…read more They can however, help you get out of the dog-house and back into your loved one's good books. The trick is, you need to buy as big a bouquet as you can carry and you need to hand-deliver them with a humble apology, a big hug and an even bigger kiss. I can't help you with the last three but I can recommend you get the flowers from The Northern Flower. Situated on Tib Street in the Northern Quarter, it's a cracking little florist that sells a small but brilliant selection of everything from roses, lillies and gerberas to birds of paradise, exotic flowers and big plants. Everything is reasonably priced, the staff are friendly and accomodating and they also sell a small selection of wine and champagne. Good luck and god speed!

If I need flowers I head here. They for a while had a tiny little pug puppy, being a man I usually…read moredon't fall for such pathetic things, but this thing is cute, like definition of cute. Any way northern flower is a small shop front that hosts all manner of lovely green matter. At different times of the year they keep all varietys of plants from orchids to the very cool carnivorous plants including pitcher plants and monkey traps (they dangle down and have been known to catch monkeys in their huge pitcher mouths). The folk behind the counter (always one girl whenever I'm there) knows her stuff inside out and can advise you on an easy to care for birthday present, gift for the girlfriend all the way to more technical beasts such as the before mentioned.

The selection here is getting really good, especially later in the week. I bought 2 beautiful…read morefloral scarves I wear almost on a daily basis for £15 from Mandalay, definitely worth checking out. More recently I had the best banh mih I've had in the UK from a stall whose name I can't remember and which may have disappeared - argh! Grandma's Touch, despite the odd name, seems to be selling some interesting arepas (beef and plaintain - yes!) although sadly when I was there they had mostly run out (I think, they seemed a bit confused and kept mentioning the name of an arepa that wasn't on the sign I was looking at) and so I had the less interesting beans and cheese (the arepa itself seemed good though, and is gluten free). Other choices included grilled cheese sandwiches, Mexican, Spanish, Caribbean and pastries. SO NO PRET, YES?

I usually avoid Manchester on a Saturday for the sheer volume of people. That's where I've been…read moregoing wrong. I'm not sure which speciality market was on today but it was amazing. First off there's food. My favourite type of market. There's regional food, Lancashire beef, cumberland sausage, Cumbrian cheese. Stalls with Eastern cuisine and curry, looked really really good. Homemade fudge and toffee for the sweet toothed. A strange one: ostrich, kangaroo and wild boar burger stall, if you're feeling particularly curious. Then there's some homemade cupcake and chocolate stalls. A variety of homegrown foods here. Once your belly's satisfied you will find lots of craft and jewellery shops, some very pretty delicate pieces. Some Amazonia gifts perhaps? Lots of fairtrade items. Then there's the shubbery and plantation stalls if you're into your gardening. Once your food's part digested why not tuck into some home brewed beer, with the strangest of homemade labels, cat piss? shit stew? brain damage? At £3.50 a bottle, go try. So that was my day and observation at the markets. According to the website it was supposed to be the crafts and gifts market being the first Saturday of the month. Was much more than that today. Any who Manchester markets give good value, quality, local produce. Support.

Great selection of flowers…read more Located very close to Oxford St Train station. The staff are super friendly

I've lost count of the amount of bouquets of flowers I've bought from Venus over the years…read more Suffice to say, there's been a lot and they've never let me down. The prices are a little steeper than other florists but the fact their flowers are so breath-takingly beautifuly makes it worth digging a little deeper. I've bought star-gazing lillies, birds of paradise and bunches of long stemmed roses from here and they're never died or wilted on me until at least ten days later. The staff are super-friendly too and clearly as passionate about flowers and foilage as I am about bourbon, cowboy boots and vinyl.

Delivered a beautiful bouquet for my in laws wedding anniversary at short notice. Highly recommend…read more 5*

I always fall into the Gadget trap. It's all those items they display in the window, enticing you…read morein. I know deep down it's just a museum of useless artifacts, things you play with and then discard 2 weeks later, but for some reason I'm always brainwashed into thinking that at that particular moment they're an absolutely necessary purchase for you or your loved ones. So brainwashed I was. So far, my mini pool table has had a lot of wear. But I can't say the same for my brother's Desktop Henry Hoover.

A Christmas store if ever there was one and an absolute must on any manly shopping excursion!…read more Red 5 is crammed to bursting point with tons of unusual and innovative gadgets and gizmos that would make excellent stocking fillers. Full of things you'll want but never knew you needed, Red 5 is store that makes it difficult to stay on track when shopping for others by bringing on some serious techno greed! The company obviously scours the globe to find new stock as I've never seen half of the stuff they have before.......although I'm soon going to own it all.

She certainly does! Lord the things she makes…read more Hannah makes handmade bangles, earrings, bracelets, necklaces, broaches and other accessories all with a fun and quirky edge. Carry on Hannah.

Hannah makes AMAZING things!!! In fact she makes jewellery for mazine shoots, music videos,…read morecelebrity videos, music festivals. Hannah is a very talented lady indeed. Hannah is a self-taughtcostume jeweller and splits here time between this Manchester base and a base in London. Everyone who is well in the know knows that Hannah's jewellery is up there with the best. Don't be left out and branded uncool get down to this fab lil shop :)

Got to be honest, I'm actually getting pretty sick of bleating on about how quirky, quaint and…read morefolksy every shop in the Northern Quarter is. I'm not a fucking pixie. I'm not setting up home with an elf. I'm not planning a vacation in Narnia- I don't need bricka brack, I don't need keepsakes, I don't need fecking chintz- that's why it's called chintz, if it was any use to me it would be called 'the essentials'!! The NQ has sold us a hippy dream that can never be. Being a boho mash head who sits in coffee shops talking about Neil Young, collects dolls and Japanese backpacks and is generally too arty to care about 'the system maaan' is an expensive past time so either these fakers are secretely high flying lawyers or daddy is a patient and giving man because the good ol' NQ is one of the most expensive and business minded monsters in Manchester! Sell me a dream I can achieve Thunder Egg!!

Until I checked out their website, I had no idea that Thunderegg was a shrine to all things…read moreJapanese.. but now it all makes sense. It is a cute little shop in the Northern Quarter selling clothes (Cutie, Gorgeous - brands like that- yes please), vinyl toys, plastic headbands and jewellery. The till area and near the fitting rooms are like if a harajuku girl started up her own branch of Accessorize. They sell Hello Kitty, Paul Frank, Emily Strange and the clothes aren't even that expensive - I tried on a spotty grey/ purple dress for £18. There was a fair amount of the old leopard print and plenty of sequins and sparkle for autumn parties ahead. Also towards the back I found a Herve Leger style bandage dress with an exposed zip. Ok, fair enough all the 'slebs were wearing those six months ago but I think in Normal-Time that's still a good buy.

Sounds like a character from Sesame Street, looks like Superman's north pole lair, sells a wide…read morerange of men and women's watches and jewellery. In business since 1919, Beaverbrooks are wedding ring specialists and the store has a team of experienced staff to helping you pick out the perfect one for your big day. Although I've heard that if you buy your wedding ring in the Arndale, God stops loving you.

I am speaking for the girls here lads and doing you a massive favour. If your thinking of popping…read morethe question to your special lady friend anytime soon don't go to Beaverbrooks in the Arndale if you want a positive response. Now don't get me wrong I am not a snob I am merely trying to help you avoid buying a ring that wont last and comes in a horribly tacky box. If your on a budget there are tons of independent Jewellers were you will find something really special and unique. You want your special lady to friend to think you have really planned this, that she is truly special. Rushing into the dreaded Arndale and finding the most obvious and unoriginal Jewellers is not gonna sway her....if she does need swaying ...a little. Make the moment priceless and put your thinking cap on again..it will be worth it :)

These guys produced one of the most beautiful bouquets I have ever ordered before. They will add…read moreLittle touches that really make a difference such as diamante pins and butterflies. The owners are really passionate about flower arranging and will give you tips on how to get the best out of your flowers. The shop is beautiful and flowers are always fresh. If your looking to really impress someone this should be your first port of call.

Row's petals is absolutely gorgeous. It isn't just a florist. Yes, they sell flowers, plants and…read morevases, but they also offer giftware, candles, balloons, teddies, hand-made cards and even antique furniture! It's like walking into someone's private residence. The flowers themselves are stunning. Always fresh and always well arranged, they're hand-tied, accessorised and posed in purpose-made bags. You can tell that this place is an all-woman show, and I love that.